It's All (Sequentially) in the Past
by eukaryote
Summary: From the writer that brought you "It's All in the Past." This story is in time sequence and it will be more detailed, better, and longer than the original. Obi-Wan/Satine. The story begins when Obi-Wan learns about his extended mission to Mandalore. It will end either when his mission is completed or when Satine dies - not sure yet.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, hi guys. I am lucky enough to still receive reviews for "It's All in the Past" and I know there are people out there reading it who aren't making a peep, but I think I've outgrown the original story. It jumps all over the place too much and I have the itch to write a lot because I'm anxious about a new job and I need to take my mind off things. I don't know how much of a fanbase Obi-Wan/Satine has now, especially seeing as it's been half a year since she met her demise on _The Clone Wars_, but maybe I will be lucky and some of my old audience members will make the move over to here too. **

**Special thanks to everyone who made reviews for the original story - as well as those who either followed it or added it to their favorite stories. I'd like to throw a thanks out to pronker especially for reviewing the final two chapters of "It's All in the Past." **

**Now, let us begin.**

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi was watching the sun rise from the Jedi Temple. Other teenagers his age in his time zone were still asleep, but not him. The only Jedi who were still asleep at this hour were sick or adjusting from a disrupted sleep schedule that they had acquired during a mission. Obi-Wan always watched the sunrise and the sunsets. He did this because he knew Jedi were supposed to feel at peace, and watching the sunrise and sunsets always made him feel this way. Sometimes Qui-Gon stood with him and sometimes he did not. Right now, Qui-Gon was meeting with the Jedi Council.

Obi-Wan was dedicated. An avid learner. He tried to build his self-esteem on the fact he was a hard-worker, but at times he wished he was more capable than he was. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so frustratingly _average_. Sometimes he imaged Yoda asking Qui-Gon how he, the padawan, was progressing. The Qui-Gon in his head always answered, "Well... he is very steadfast... _But_ he has much to learn." Obi-Wan knew his desire to be more than average was prideful and un-Jedi-like, so he resented having these thoughts.

Obi-Wan heard the door open behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Qui-Gon stepping onto the balcony.

"That was fast," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon sighed and looked out at the orange sky. "How much do you remember about Mandalore from your studies, Obi-Wan?"

"Mandalorians are warriors often fighting against the Jedi throughout history. Sometimes they banded with the Sith. Why?"

"And have you ever heard of the New Mandalorians?"

"I have... but I couldn't tell you about them," Obi-Wan admitted, feeling as if he had just proven himself average again.

"It is a faction. Mandalore has been in a state of civil war since -"

Obi-Wan quickly regurgitated the correct date, eager to prove himself.

"Correct, and anyway, the New Mandalorians are at war with an organization known as the Death Watch. The New Mandalorians promote pacifism while the Death Watch wants every Mandalorian to remain the ruthless warriors they have been in the past. Given the history between Mandalorians and the Jedi, the Jedi Council has come to the conclusion it would be beneficial for the Jedi Order at large that Mandalore adopts the nonviolent society model."

"So, we have a mission, then, Master?"

"An extended mission. We could be gone for a maximum of three years. Our mission is to help Duchess Satine Kryze, the chosen leader of the New Mandalorians, win the civil war."

Obi-Wan did not know how he felt about that. The thought that he could be stuck on Mandalore until he was twenty-years-old seemed like an extremely long time. He could not even imagine himself at twenty. He knew he would still be a Jedi, certainly, but what would he be like then?

Qui-Gon was watching him closely. "What are you thinking?"

He did not want to admit he was unsure whether or not he wanted to go. Obi-Wan knew he was supposed to be a peacekeeper, so this mission certainly seemed appropriate for a Jedi. "I'm thinking... Master, if the New Mandalorians are pacifists, how do they plan to win a civil war?"

Qui-Gon smiled faintly. "I suppose the answer will be waiting for us on Mandalore."

"When do we leave, Master?"

"In four hours."

_Four hours! _Obi-Wan could not help himself. "For three years?" he exclaimed.

Qui-Gon looked at him carefully. "Why not? How would you be better prepared by waiting until tomorrow?"

Obi-Wan couldn't give an answer. The thought that he would be leaving the place he had called home since he was three years old for such a long period of time was unimaginable. Yet this was a signal of attachment. He was attached to the Jedi Temple. This was another reason why he was a less than perfect Jedi.

"Attachment," Qui-Gon said, "does not always refer to a person."

Obi-Wan swallowed and said, "Yes, Master. Where is the Mandalore sector?"

"Outer Rim."

* * *

Duchess Satine Kryze was absolutely, positively sure the New Mandalorians needed a miracle if they were going to survive the war, let alone win it. The fighting had driven her from the capital of Sundari into the woods near the settlement of Bralsin. It was very late at night, but she could not sleep. She was in a tent and it was raining. There were no duchesses out in the woods. Here she was just another human being trying to sleep on a thin layer of plastic that separated her from dirt.

She had always been told when she was younger that fire cannot be fought with fire. More violence is not a solution to end violence. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love and peace can do that. The problem was she didn't think she could just _love_ the Death Watch leaders into submission. She relied on her words. Her words had been instrumental in making her the leader of the New Mandalorians. Yet no matter how many hours she spent trying to think of the perfect thing to say to the rebels, she could not come up with anything. They did not want to listen to her speak. They wanted to kill her, just like they had killed her father years earlier.

Laying on her stomach, she poured over reports late into the night. Her eyes were so tired that she couldn't keep them fully open. She settled for squinting instead. She thought about maybe praying, but she didn't know who to pray to because she didn't believe in any God. Or what was it the Jedi believed in - the Force... Was the Force something you could pray to? Did the Jedi ever think: _Please, Force, help me_... She thought _Force help me _several times before giving up. Eventually, she put her head down face-first onto the ground for just a moment. When she lifted her head and opened her eyes, it was inexplicably light out.

* * *

"Duchess, there are these two men here to see you -"

"Who are they?"

"We don't know... they sort of look like Jedi. They have lightsabers, anyway."

She blinked at her guard several times, sure she had misheard him. Had "the Force" answered her? Was that possible?

"Adler sent them in. He insists they are safe, but they refuse to give up their lightsabers."

She stood and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She was wearing plain civilian clothing, because she did not want to be an obvious target - a light gray shirt and light blue pants. Nobody would believe she was Duchess Satine of Kalevala.

"Bring them forward," she said.

* * *

When Obi-Wan first laid eyes on her, he did not immediately realize that this was Duchess Satine Kryze. She did not look anything like the leader he was expecting. She was a teenager, maybe a bit younger than himself, and she was as grimy as everyone else around her in the middle of the woods. She had her hair tied back and dark circles under her eyes. She was small and looked as frail as a sick bird.

Then her blue eyes pierced both he and Qui-Gon and she spoke in a voice that clearly communicated she was the one in charge.

She scanned the two strangers. One was much older than the other. The younger man was in his late teens; he could not be much older than herself. The both of them certainly looked like Jedi. Both were wearing tunics and cloaks. Lightsabers were clipped on their sides.

"You are Jedi?" she asked, sounding more surprised than she had meant to. She was supposed to sound like she had been planning to see them, she knew that.

They both bowed.

"Yes, we are," the older one said. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"What is it that you want?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes still scanning them over.

"We want to help you, Duchess," Qui-Gon said.

"Why?"

"I am sure you know the history between the Jedi and the Mandalorians," Qui-Gon began. When she did not nod or answer, he continued, "The Jedi keep watch over what is happening on Mandalore. We have for centuries. There is a committee, who reside on Coruscant in our Temple, that has followed your speeches since before you were made the leader of the New Mandalorians. The committee ruled that it would be beneficial both to us as Jedi and the galaxy at large if you won this civil war and Mandalore adopted your peaceful model of society."

Satine considered this for a moment. She looked at the younger one, Obi-Wan. His face was blank. "And how long would you stay?" she asked.

"The committee came to the conclusion that it would take six or seven months before you regained control, but we can remain as long as three years. We are prepared to stay for a good amount of time."

Obi-Wan turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Then he walked off in that general direction with absolutely no explanation whatsoever. Qui-Gon briefly looked at Obi-Wan's retreating figure, but then looked back at her and did not explain what had just happened. She felt a surge of annoyance. Usually people did not just walk away from her without being dismissed.

She knew she had to weigh her options quickly. That was what leaders did. She took in a deep breath and said, "Fine. But just know, you both are responsible for your own safety. I won't have anyone risking their lives for you."

"That won't be an issue," Qui-Gon said, sounding amused.

She looked off in the direction Obi-Wan had disappeared. "Where did your... friend go?"

"Padawan. He went to go look for something he sensed."

Satine could make neither heads nor tails of this, but she pretended she understood. "And when will he be back?"

"Not long. He did not go far. I think he's already on his way back. What are your immediate offensive plans?"

"We... want to take the capitol first. Sundari."

"That isn't practical," Qui-Gon shot down. "Sundari is at the heart of the problem."

She was not used to being put down in this fashion. She opened her mouth to reply, but then heard cracking of twigs. She looked over in the direction of the noise. A man was coming toward her, his hands raised. Behind this man was Obi-Wan. His lightsaber was ignited and pointing toward the man's back.

Satine had never seen an ignited lightsaber before. She had only seen them in pictures. It was blue and surprisingly solid. It also emitted a humming noise, which she had not expected.

"What do you want to do with prisoners?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice sounding completely impassive, as if he had just done something as unremarkable as making toast.

Satine was dumbfounded. Not only had the Force sent her two Jedi - it had sent her two Jedi who were more resourceful than any of her men. There was no doubt the prisoner was a spy who would have reported their location, if he had not already.

"Turn that thing off," she swiftly demanded.

The blue blade disappeared and the humming stopped.

"Who are you?" she asked the prisoner in the same commanding voice.

The man spat and said, "I do not answer to _you_."

"Well," Obi-Wan began dryly, "I guess that means -"

But Satine had not asked him to speak. She turned her back and whispered something to Adler. After the prisoner was led away, she turned back to the younger Jedi. "Don't use that lightsaber unless absolutely necessary. I'm surmising you didn't even try to talk to him before igniting it, did you?"

Obi-Wan just blinked at her.

"It'd be better if you didn't carry those things around with you, but I know you Jedi all do."

"Erm... why?" Obi-Wan asked, looking completely perplexed.

"Because people who bring weapons with them everywhere do not want peace," she explained with as much patience as she could muster. "Do you really think you can have a peaceful discussion with someone if you both come to the table with blasters and lightsabers? No, you would have already made your choice to approach him as a potential enemy."

He looked at her with interest. She looked away.

"Last night's report will be ready in twenty minutes," she told Qui-Gon. "It will tell us how many civilians were killed, where the fighting was, and how many of our peacekeepers have died. If you are going to be on our side, you might as well know everything possible."

Qui-Gon nodded respectfully. "Of course."

"Um."

Satine looked back at Obi-Wan. "Yes?" she prompted.

"Sorry, but... how are you combating the rebels?" he asked sheepishly. "What kind of fighters do you have?"

"They're called peacekeepers. They use non-lethal weapons," she said. "They only stun the enemy. Then they are locked away. Once the war is over, assuming we win, they will all stand trial."

Obi-Wan swallowed but did not say anything further.

* * *

One hundred and fifty-six civilians were killed near Sundari yesterday. The enemy was on the move. Satine rubbed her forehead with her left hand.

"We need to move," the hologram of Casimir Camnor, her most trusted peacekeeper leader, told her. Casimir had light brown hair. He was young - in his early twenties. Fair skin. Satine trusted him with her life. "The prisoner that was caught by Kenobi is proof enough that the enemy is on to our location, if they do not know it already."

She took in a deep breath. "We've covered all over Mandalore - twice. Except for Sundari itself."

"Staying put will equate to death," Casimir said baldly. He hesitated. "I think we should consider moving to another planet."

"We've already run from the capital," Satine snapped. "I'm not running away from the whole planet."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "It is not running away, Duchess. It is being hard to pin down. Are there other planets in the Mandalore sector that are currently more peaceful?"

"Concord Dawn is -" Casimir began.

"I'm not going to Concord Dawn!" Satine insisted. "Forget it! We'll move one hundred kilometers from here. The forest offers us plenty of cover. I'm not taking _one foot_ off Mandalore. My fate resides here on this planet. I will die here before I leave it."

Casimir sighed and shook his head. "Fine, but move north. We think some rebel groups are to the south of your position. Unless our Jedi have a better direction in mind."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "Matters are very unclear at times. We are not all-seeing."

"I can meditate about it," Obi-Wan said. "Give me three hours and I might get an answer."

Satine looked at him with interest. He did not meet her gaze.

"If you think it would help, I am all for it. But let's try to make it two hours," Casimir said. "I am very uneasy with the Duchess being where you are for much longer."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Done. I will certainly do my best." With that, he walked away into the forest. She realized she did not understand Jedi at all. She did not understand how he had found that spy earlier, nor did she understand how meditation would allow Obi-Wan to see where they should move next.

Casimir disconnected with the promise he would be available again when Obi-Wan returned with his answer.

"He is very skilled when it comes to meditation," Qui-Gon said to her. She turned her head and looked at him. "He is better at it than even I am. I am sure he will gain some insight into where we should go."

"I don't understand," she said as she watched her guards converse with one another. "How does meditation tell you what to do?"

He gave her a smile and said, "The answer to your question is complicated and it could fill several books... I will go and meditate as well. Perhaps I will gain some further insight."

* * *

**Okay, I've tried really, really hard to not miss any typos. Let me know how you think I'm doing - I really do love to read reviews. :) Thanks guys. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Onward to the next chapter... thanks to Ameliaxox for the review and society-of-the-spectacle for the follow. I know this is going kind of slow, but I don't want Obi-Wan and Satine to hit it off right from the start, because I don't think that would fit their characters. Anyway, let me know how I'm doing guys. Enjoy.**

* * *

A little over two hours later, both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon emerged from different corners of the forest.

"Do you have an answer?" Qui-Gon asked his padawan.

"Yes, Master."

Qui-Gon looked back at Satine. "We're ready for your friend Casimir, Duchess."

When they reached Casimir, he had a wary look on his face. "Good. What did you find out, Master Jedi?"

"I do not possess the title of Master Jedi," Obi-Wan said. "Just 'Obi-Wan' will do." He straightened up. His eyes flickered to Satine for a moment. "You were right when you said the enemy is south of our current position. I think they are southwest actually, so we should go northeast from here. Someone is leading this group. I get the sense that it's a female warrior, but I could be wrong."

"Bo-Katan," Satine spat out bitterly. "Of course, who else?"

"Er, I guess; I don't know the name."

"Can we move now?" Casimir butted in. "Every minute we waste puts you all and the Duchess in more danger."

"How should we be moved, Casimir?" Satine asked.

He hesitated. "Do you want my honest opinion?"

"I respect your opinion," she said honestly.

"Sending a starship directly to your location is not a smart move, especially if the spy communicated anything to his superiors before he was caught. It's too obvious. We are in too rural an area."

"So we take a hike to a better location for pick-up," she finished.

"I do not see a better option."

Satine rubbed her forehead. She was sick and tired of this camping out in the middle of the woods while peacekeepers battled for ground control. "Fine."

"We should walk toward Bralsin," Qui-Gon interjected. "Any transportation from there would look much less suspicious."

"And unfortunately there is also a good chance there are enemies residing there," Casimir sighed. "Which means we will first have to come closer to them before speeding away. While I was waiting for our Jedi friends to come up with an answer, Strike spoke to me and he told me Bralsin transportation is up higher than usual. Which means there are probably a slew of Death Watch members who have just entered the area."

"Then we had best get walking," Satine said glumly.

There was a clap of thunder. Rain began to fall. Casimir looked at her sympathetically.

"Right," Casimir said. "You travel until you reach Bralsin. It is about fourteen kilometers from where you are. Stay on the outskirts once you get there. Comlink me. Keep your eyes and ears open."

The transmission was broken. No one of their party of eight complained over the fact their clothes were getting soaked and the rain was coming down harder and harder. The guards led the way in the direction toward Bralsin.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked a bit behind her. She looked over her shoulder at Qui-Gon and said, "Nobody would blame you if you decided to forget us and go back to Coruscant once we reach Bralsin. I don't think you meant to sign up for backpacking in the woods."

She heard Obi-Wan chuckle, but Qui-Gon only assured her that walking and a bit of rain was not enough to make them run away.

* * *

Gage was an idiot. He had been drinking too much in one of the very few bars Bralsin offered. He was a rebel. A member of the Death Watch. Itching for a fight. Only eighteen years old. But he was ready to fight and die for his belief that Mandalorians should be warriors and not pacifists. And he knew the New Mandalorian leader - Kryze - was nearby. A spy had told them she was near Bralsin before he vanished completely. Gage knew the poor bastard wasn't dead - he would be still alive, because Kryze didn't let her fighters kill anyone. As he stumbled out of the bar, he laughed at this thought.

He decided he was going to find Kryze. He had no idea what direction from Bralsin she was in, but he was going to move northeast and defy Bo-Katan's orders to report back to her at 16:00. He was going to stroll the perimeter and kill Kryze if she stumbled his way. They knew it was highly likely that she and her guards would come into Bralsin, so maybe he would get lucky. In his drunk state of mind, he imagined his name all over headlines - Gage Rio Ends the Mandalorian Civil War.

As he reached the edge of the forest, he climbed up a tree and nearly broke his neck in the process because his coordination was not so good when he was drunk. He waited out of sight with a blaster in hand. Normally, he would aim for his enemy's head, but he was going to aim for her stomach if possible. He wanted her to feel pain before she died.

* * *

Satine handed both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan a ration bar each. "Here," she said. "I imagine you're getting hungry."

Obi-Wan gave a hurried, "Thanks." He opened the wrapper and took a bite. It was a ration - nothing savory - but he was hungry enough to make it taste good.

"That's the clearing ahead," she told them. "That's where Bralsin begins. Farmland."

Both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan halted at the same time. They looked at each other. Satine noticed their footsteps had stopped crunching behind her. She halted and looked back at them.

"What is it?" she asked.

Obi-Wan was scanning their surroundings. He ignited his lightsaber.

The humming was unnerving to her. "What is it?" she repeated.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Don't move," he told her. He walked in front of her, his eyes scanning, while Qui-Gon stayed behind and looked back toward where they had been. Everyone ahead of them had walked on and were out of sight, too eager to reach their destination.

That was when she heard a blaster. A single shot ran toward her chest. Obi-Wan deflected it with his lightsaber before she could even register that she had been shot at.

A young man jumped down from a tree with his blaster in hand. He stumbled before making a run for her, firing his weapon. Obi-Wan deflected every shot. Qui-Gon ran forward and threw his lightsaber - the blade was green - at the man. The lightsaber swiped the lower part of the man's arm clean off - right in between his wrist and his elbow. The lightsaber landed some feet away in a pile of wet leaves. Gage fell onto his knees, shouting and staring at the stump where the rest of his arm had been.

Satine gasped and started running backward until she stumbled and fell onto the damp ground. Nothing of this scene made sense. She didn't know how the Jedi knew danger was near. She didn't know lightsabers could deflect blaster shots. She didn't know lightsabers could clean cut through someone without producing any blood. The sight of the man's lower arm and hand being cut off was far more disturbing to her than being shot at.

Qui-Gon's lightsaber flew back into his hand while Obi-Wan held his lightsaber at Gage's forehead. Gage was moaning over his arm.

"Duchess, it appears we have another... prisoner," she heard Qui-Gon saying with near indifference.

There were shots up ahead of them. Shouting.

"They've found the others," Obi-Wan said.

_So this is it_, she thought. Bo-Katan had found her at last.

"We need to move back," Qui-Gon said. "Now. Forget our prisoner."

"That way," Obi-Wan pointed. "Can you -?"

But Satine had already taken off in the direction Obi-Wan had pointed. She wasn't very fast and she had not run in a long time, but survival is a powerful motivator. She ran until Obi-Wan grabbed the hem of her shirt and dragged her down.

"Stop," he hissed. Her knees were bleeding, but she was too full of adrenaline to notice. "Get down under those bushes -"

The three of them crawled under some thick bushes in a clearing. It had thorns - why in the hell did it have to have thorns. All three of them were bleeding and covered in mud. It was like finally being the child she had never been allowed to be - the kind that got filthy and played spy in the neighbor's bushes. She didn't dare speak.

"One of them is coming closer," Qui-Gon said. "Whatever you do, don't move, don't sneeze, don't even breathe until we give the clear."

Her arms began to cramp and her fingers were becoming numb, but she did not change her position. They stayed like this for maybe five or six minutes - it became hard for her to judge time while she was in such an uncomfortable posture. Her arms began to tremble. Then they heard rustling to their left. She stopped breathing. A man in Mandalorian armor walked into their sight. Obi-Wan recognized the armor from pictures of Mandalorians in his textbooks and he felt a surge of adrenaline at the realization this was an ancient enemy of the Jedi. The man was carrying a blaster in his right hand. He slowly passed them by until he was out of sight and they could no longer hear his footsteps. She breathed again, but did not move. They stayed like this in silence for a while before Qui-Gon broke the silence.

"We'll stay here for a couple of hours. You can change positions," he said. "But I would rather not get into a confrontation with your friends if we can avoid it. We don't need a full-scale war to happen at Bralsin."

She moved her arms, but that was not much more comfortable. It was awkward with the three of them laying there like this in the mud. Qui-Gon was on her left while Obi-Wan was on her right. Obi-Wan moved so that he was lying on his side with his back toward her. He finally broke the silence with:

"I spy something that's green."

Qui-Gon sighed, clearly not amused. "Don't mind him, Duchess. He makes lame jokes every once in a while. Best to just ignore him."

She chuckled in spite of herself.

* * *

Four hours later, it was dark. They walked through the woods away from Bralsin. It had stopped raining. Obi-Wan's lightsaber was their only light. Satine felt utterly defeated. She tried her best not to think about the guards she had just lost. Undoubtedly, the rebels would have killed them while the spy Obi-Wan caught was now free to fight her again another day. She could only hope that their deaths had been quick. Obi-Wan said something, but she didn't pay any attention. Then when Qui-Gon never said anything back, she realized he had been talking to her.

"What? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"How did you decide that you wanted to be Duchess of the New Mandalorians? Or was the choice just handed down to you?" Obi-Wan repeated.

She swallowed and said, "My family are... were... staunch pacifists. My father was the leader of Clan Kryze. When he was killed by the rebels, the New Mandalorians needed a new leader. I was just two months short of my fifteenth birthday, but... I had made a name of myself with my speeches, I was of his royal blood, and they looked for me to be that leader, so I was. Am."

Obi-Wan considered this in silence.

"My sisters," she went on, "are not really... suited to be the leader of Clan Kryze. So half the way, the title fell to me through blood and circumstance, and the other half through my own determination... So, how did you decide you wanted to be a Jedi?" she asked.

A small smile flickered across Obi-Wan's face in the blue light. "I did not ever make that decision, Duchess. One cannot simply go up to the Jedi Temple and apply for a master. Jedi are selected just months after birth and raised in the Temple after they turn two or three. One can always quit, but very few do. So it completely was determined for me by circumstance, but I'm very glad it was."

"Oh?" she said, looking over at him quizzically. "And how is it decided who qualifies to be a Jedi and who doesn't?"

"Midi-chlorian counts by taking blood," he explained. "Only those with a very high count can be a Jedi."

Every time she thought she would receive an answer that would help her better understand the Jedi, the more mysterious they became.

"Mid-chlorians," Qui-Gon broke in, "are also the answer to your earlier question, Duchess. About how meditation tells us what we should do. Midi-chlorians live in our cells. They tell us what to do. Whisper it. They build the bridge between us and the Force."

"I don't understand," she admitted.

"Who does?" Obi-Wan murmured.

She looked back at his face, illuminated blue from the humming lightsaber. Their eyes met and then both quickly looked away.

* * *

When Casimir was finally able to rescue the three of them, they were starving, dirty, and bloody. He was convinced their ship would be noticed, but he did not see any better alternative. This game had gone on long enough. Satine was actually shaking from hunger. They were given food on the starship and they were able to clean themselves in the 'freshers. She was given new clothes while a peacekeeper fussed over her bloody knees as if she was made of fine china.

"I'm fine," she insisted heavily. "Just let me be."

When she emerged clean and fed, she saw Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both talking to Casimir with deep intent as they stood in the dining hall. It had been weeks since she had last seen Casimir in person. He caught her eye, smiled, and gave her a little bow. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both looked at her briefly. Qui-Gon looked away back at Casimir, but Obi-Wan's eyes rested on her. She looked infinitely better now that she wasn't dirty and bloody. She walked over to them.

"Do I even want to know the latest news?" she asked Casimir.

"Not bad actually, except for the disaster that you experienced," he told her. "We gained ground west of Sundari... Not quite into the city yet, but almost. Once we get Sundari, we can turn to the battle in space. Until then," he explained to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, "there is no sense in taking on the greater Mandalorian Sector. It would be utter folly to think we can do that without having the capital of this planet first... It's late, you all should get some sleep."

She knew Obi-Wan's eyes were still on her. "You require sleep too, Casimir, you know," she said. "Unless you've been a droid all along."

"Some days I wish I was one," he replied. "Then I could just power down and recharge when my energy is too low. By the way, our friend confirms it was Bo-Katan's men that attacked near Bralsin."

"Of course it was," Satine said loftily. She tried to brush this off, but she still felt like a stone had just been dropped into her stomach. "As I said earlier, who else could it have been?"

* * *

**Okay, so what I don't get is that Obi-Wan acted like he didn't know who the Death Watch were in ****_The Clone Wars_****, yet on Wookieepedia it says it was the Death Watch who were fighting Satine at the time Obi-Wan was there on the extended mission, so... IDK. I guess it was pretty awkward when they were talking for the first time in like 15 years, so maybe they decided to pretend they didn't really know each other. Anyone have any answers? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so we have some followers! Good deal. Enjoy the new chapter everyone.**

* * *

It took time, but after a month of having Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon at her side, she realized that the two Jedi were very different people. At first, she saw no difference in them, except age. They both were always calm. They both spoke with an air of deliberateness. They both got funny feelings that mostly turned out to be correct. They both were quiet. However, she began to see that Obi-Wan was more uptight than Qui-Gon was and he required more time spent alone than his master. It was very easy to overlook Obi-Wan. He never smiled a genuine smile and he seemed comfortable being the lesser of the two. She wanted to know his age and guessed he was between sixteen and eighteen, though she was not sure.

She found herself alone with Obi-Wan one night. They were around a campfire. Qui-Gon was guarding the perimeter. Satine had never had a conversation with Obi-Wan alone. Qui-Gon had always been between them. She looked at Obi-Wan's face. He was staring ahead at the flames, apparently lost in thought.

"Obi-Wan, what is the Force exactly?"

He blinked and turned his gaze toward her. "I'm sorry, Duchess, what did you say?"

"What is the Force that you and Qui-Gon are always talking about?"

He blinked again. An emotion crossed his face. Perplexity. "It's... well... it's the Force. It's what binds us and gives us life. Makes things grow and change."

"And what is the will of the Force? What does this refer to?"

"The will of the Force... dictates what will happen. Everything that happens is the will of the Force. What does not happen was not meant to happen. For instance, it was the will of the Force that you became the leader of the New Mandalorians, but it was also the will of the Force that you did not die that first day we came to you. The Force always wins."

She considered this in silence. She thought about telling him that she had "prayed" to the Force the night before Qui-Gon and he arrived, but she decided against it. "So the will of the Force is like fate or destiny."

"I guess you could put it that way."

"If the will of the Force always wins," she said, "why do anything at all? Why help me? If I'm meant to rule over Mandalore, it will happen on its own, correct?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "The Force acts through Qui-Gon and I. It acts through _you_. You, Qui-Gon, and I were meant to come together."

She felt herself blushing and she was not sure quite why the thought of her and Obi-Wan being written in fate was making herself feel this way. She knew he could not see her blushing in the dim light of the campfire, and she was grateful for this. "So it was destiny that you and I are sitting around this campfire now?"

"Yes, if that is what you want to call it."

"What about just chance?"

"There is no such thing as chance," Obi-Wan explained as he unconsciously grabbed a leaf off the ground and started tearing it, "and what seems to us as merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny."

She admired his eloquence. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Obi-Wan. I don't personally believe in destiny, or the will of the Force, but you obviously hold strong convictions."

Obi-Wan felt blush creeping up his face. He said, "So do you."

When the conversation stopped, Obi-Wan stopped tearing leaves for a few minutes. She wondered if he realized he was doing it. Then he grabbed some more from behind him and said, "When did you decide you wanted to help lead the New Mandalorians?"

"When I was eight. I wrote all these speeches and I begged my father to say them for me. I was quite insane."

"And... don't take this personally, but how old are you now? Because you look really young," he added hurriedly, as if he was afraid asking would offend her.

She considered lying to make herself older, but she admitted, "I'm sixteen... almost seventeen. And yourself?"

"Seventeen." He said this as if he was not happy about it.

"So... what does 'padawan' mean? I never really understood that."

"It means I'm a learner. I'm not really a Jedi Knight yet, officially."

She felt taken about. "Really?" she said quietly. "When do you become a Jedi Knight?"

"When the Council thinks I am ready."

"You seem ready to me."

For the first time, Satine saw Obi-Wan genuinely smile and it made her smile as well. He uncrossed his legs and recrossed them again differently. "The Council... they are very wise. They wouldn't agree with you. Let's just say they don't have much faith in my abilities. I almost never became a padawan. Qui-Gon took me at the last minute. Long story. I'm fortunate enough to be a padawan and I do not mind it."

Her mysterious protector just became even more interesting. There was something about him that made Satine burn with the desire to know more about him.

"What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?" she asked out of thin air.

"Jedi don't feel fear."

"Don't be ridiculous. Everyone feels fear. Even animals feel it under the right conditions."

"Why are you asking me this?"

"We're around a campfire."

He looked at her with a blank expression.

"It's the will of the Force to tell scary stories around a campfire. Everybody knows this."

"It sounds funny when you say 'the will of the Force,'" he said bemusedly. "What's the scariest thing that ever happened to you then?"

She racked her brain. "Well, my older sister used to read this book to me at night when her friends were sleeping over. The stories gave me nightmares. There was this one story where a girl was lying in bed and she heard this voice calling to her. It told her it was coming up the stairs. It talked to her on its way up the stairs. Then she heard it say it was right outside her bedroom. And then it was in her room. And then it screamed, 'I've got you!' and the girl screamed. Her parents came in, but found nothing. I used to think I was hearing a voice telling me it was coming for me at night."

Obi-Wan said nothing for a moment and then burst out laughing. She had never heard him laugh before. It sounded nice.

"So non-Jedi children are afraid of things that don't exist?" he finally managed to say.

"All children are afraid of things that don't exist. Haven't you ever heard about the monster under your bed?"

"A monster under my bed?"

"Yes, all children cry out for their parents at night saying there's a monster under their bed."

Obi-Wan became silent as he considered this. Then he said, "What do the parents do?"

"Well, they look under the bed of course," Satine explained. "And they say there's nothing there."

"That's not what I would do," Obi-Wan announced after another moment of silence.

"And what would you do?"

Grinning to himself, he said, "I would tell them that there was a monster under their bed, and if they ever misbehaved again, I would let it kill them."

It was Satine's turn to laugh. Her laugh gave him a funny feeling that he could not identify. "That is the most demented, evilest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

"What is?"

Both Satine and Obi-Wan stopped laughing and looked over in the direction of Qui-Gon's voice. He was walking out of the woods into the clearing.

"Nothing, Master," Obi-Wan said swiftly. "What is wrong?"

"We need to move," Qui-Gon said without preamble. "Now. On your feet. Put the fire out."

Obi-Wan lifted the bucket of water using the Force. He tipped it over with the Force as well, almost like he was trying to show off. But the bucket was jerking and he was having trouble tipped it over gracefully.

"Obi-Wan, stop messing around!" Qui-Gon snapped. "Just because you can use the Force does not mean you have to utilize it for every minute task -"

"Sorry, Master." The bucket tipped upside down quickly and the flames were extinguished.

"Take the Duchess back to our cabin," Qui-Gon ordered. "I will stay here. Someone is coming our way, but I think they are alone. Keep your eyes open."

"Wait, shouldn't -" Satine began.

Obi-Wan gently put a hand on her shoulder. She felt a jolt of electricity. "Master Qui-Gon can handle himself. Let's go."

As she walked back to their miniscule cabin, Satine continued to feel Obi-Wan's hand on her shoulder even though it was no longer there. She did not want to come to terms with what this feeling she was having meant. Obi-Wan was a Jedi - padawan or not. She was the Duchess of Mandalore. His path was very different from hers and nothing good could come from any... feelings.

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber for light. She had gotten used to the humming and it almost soothed her now. They found the cabin that was shrouded in darkness. They both went inside. There was no power going into the cabin and there were no lights anywhere inside. They stood in silence, hardly breathing, listening for some sound other than the chirping from crickets. She did like the idea of Qui-Gon facing danger alone. It was very late at night. Dawn was approaching, but for now, they were stuck in the darkest part of the night.

When the sun started to rise, Satine and Obi-Wan began to argue.

"It's been almost an hour," she hissed. "We have to go see -"

"No, we don't," Obi-Wan argued. "Qui-Gon gave us an order -"

"Well, I'm the Duchess of Mandalore!" she said in that lofty, ringing tone he knew all too well. "So my order overrules his, and my order is that we go and investigate."

"I will literally hold you hostage if it comes to that," he threatened.

She laughed. "Oh really? What're you going to do, suspend me in the air the whole time?"

"If I have to."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Don't try me."

Light was seeping into the cabin.

Obi-Wan's comlink beeped. He let out a breath. "Master?"

"There is a man here," Qui-Gon's voice said. "Calls himself Strike. He has no weapons and -"

"Strike!" Satine exclaimed, drowning out the rest of whatever Qui-Gon said. "Where is he?"

"She knows who he is?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes, I know who he is! He's a spy for us."

"She says he's a spy on our side," Obi-Wan said into the comlink.

"Very well. Come back to the clearing."

* * *

Strike was a man in his mid-forties with gray-brown hair and an untamed beard. He was a bit mad and had an odd sense of humor. But he did his job well. At the beginning of the war, Satine used to doubt whether he was telling the truth or if he was just making stories up. However, her father had trusted him and she had to as well.

He was sitting on a log around the fire, smoking a death stick like he did not have a care in the world. Satine went up to him and they shook hands.

"You know those shorten your lifespan," Obi-Wan told Strike without introduction. "They make you hallucinate."

"If you wanted one, all you have to do is ask," Strike said as he fished around in the pockets of his jacket.

"No thanks," Obi-Wan said in a voice that conveyed disgust.

"Right then," Strike said as he straightened himself up. "Jedi and New Mandalorians. Very interesting duo. I've never met a real Jedi before. One member of the rebels has a black-bladed lightsaber though. I guessed it'd be called a _darksaber_. I've seen it. Makes a funny sound when it's swung. He says it was stolen from the Jedi Temple like a thousand years ago or something like that. Unfortunately, the rebel who owns it is shrouded in mystery - I don't know his name, though I'd be very interested to know."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged quick glances that clearly communicated they did not believe a word that was coming out of Strike's mouth.

"You've received more death threats from our handwriting friend," Strike said. "I am quite fond of reading them. I think it was an excellent idea to forward them to me. I have the little pieces of paper, in case you want to read them. They're quite funny."

She smiled faintly. "No idea who is sending them?" she asked as she sat down on another log near the campfire.

"Unfortunately not. The folder I have is not big enough - I have to find a new one. That's not why I'm here though. Nobody else knows I'm here. I have information saying that someone very close to you has switched sides." He glared at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan suggestively.

She sighed. "That really is not news."

"It is, actually," Strike insisted as he puffed away on his death stick. "Death Watch knows you have two Jedi protectors. They even know the names. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Weird names you both have."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't take you seriously if you smoke a drug that is known to make people have hallucinations."

"So you think I just correctly hallucinated your names? Are you Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan? Because your friend here did not tell me his name. I asked him not to."

Obi-Wan looked over at Qui-Gon, who nodded at Obi-Wan.

"Not very many people know the names of our Jedi protectors," Satine said, looking deep in thought. "Unless somebody close to me has a big mouth."

"Maybe the traitor is Casimir," Obi-Wan suggested.

She shook her head vehemently. "No, he wouldn't. We've known each other since I was nine years old. He would never."

Strike stretched out a leg. "Well anyway - the enemy is sending the Jedi Council messages saying that they're going to go to war with the Jedi. 'You've stuck your noses where they don't belong' - that kind of thing. According to them, they are prepared to burn the whole Temple down and kill every man, woman, and youngling inside it."

Obi-Wan felt horrified. "Are they -"

Strike waved him off. "They're not serious. They can't be. They don't have the military power. They're already spending all their resources and men in making sure Satine bites the dust."

Obi-Wan felt a surge of protection for her. "They are wasting their time," he said with more emotion than he intended.

"Of course they are," Strike agreed as he checked his watch. "Those bastards killed her father and I won't let them get her too. All I'm saying is trend carefully. Obi-Wan seems like he has your well-being in great interest, Duchess. Don't trust more people with more information than you have to, because someone in your inner circle is two-faced."

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**Strike is based slightly after the main character in JK Rowling's new book called The Cuckoo's Calling. She wrote it under a pseudonym and it was out for 3 months without anyone knowing the author of Harry Potter had published another book. She's awesome like that.**

**Let me know your thoughts, reader. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, so I know it's been a little while, but here is the next chapter. My life has been very busy and it is about to get even more busy with me literally having not a single day free to myself. As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed.**

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Obi-Wan felt like he was fighting an inner demon. It had been nearly two months since their mission began. _There is no emotion, there is peace_. But he had become a cauldron full of emotions lately. Just looking at Satine was enough to make his heartbeat somewhat irregular. She was beautiful, intelligent, and determined. She was everything he could ever ask for. He did not like these feelings. He wanted to be cold to her, but he always found he could not. He tried not to look at her when they were in the same room, but it was as if she was a strong magnet - he had to pay attention to her. He understood what he was feeling was attraction and he absolutely hated to acknowledge this. He was supposed to be better than that. A Jedi and a Mandalorian. How hilarious. Forbidden love was for sixteen-year-old suburban schoolchildren.

Obi-Wan woke up early one morning to realize he had just been dreaming about her. He wanted to bang his head against a wall for subconsciously wanting what had happened in the shameful, sexually explicit dream... Then he heard Satine ranting about something in the next room. He sighed and tried to make himself hate her. She was _always_ in an uproar about _something_.

He made sure he was presentable before he went into the room to find Satine arguing with his master, who looked rather bored.

"It's too risky," Qui-Gon was saying.

She looked over at Obi-Wan, instantly mollified. She blinked softly at him and he hated how pretty she looked when she did that. Qui-Gon then looked over at him as well.

"What?" Obi-Wan slurred as he tried to wake up.

"We have to go to Sundari," she announced.

"That's too dangerous," Obi-Wan said as he rubbed his right eye. "Why on earth should we let you go to Sundari?"

"_Let me_!" Satine shrieked. "Let me! What do you mean _let me_? I could ban you both from Mandalore right now so - so badly that you won't even be able to view if from a telescope! I'm the one that lets _you_ be here!"

"He did not mean anything like it sounded, Duchess," Qui-Gon was telling her. "He's just half-asleep."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I apologize, Duchess. I did not mean it the way it sounded. That was a very arrogant thing for me to say."

She was mollified again. She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just - Strike contacted me. He says he knows who the traitor is and that it is imperative I meet him near Sundari. He's in a difficult position where he cannot get away to meet me elsewhere."

"It's still too dangerous," Obi-wan said gently. "Does Casimir know about your plans? What would he say about this?"

Her rage returned. "When I want your opinions, I'll ask for them! Now, I'm going to Sundari with or without you!" She went hurrying away out the room, still ranting about how Obi-Wan had said "let you."

Obi-Wan looked over at Qui-Gon. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of camping out with the Duchess all over the woods."

Qui-Gon took a deep breath and let it out, as if he was praying for patience. "You need to be the more mature one."

Satine came hurrying back in the room with a data pad. "Right," she began. "We need to go outside to discuss this, right now."

Obi-Wan sighed but did not argue. Both he and Qui-Gon stepped outside of the starship, walked past the guards, and into the woods. She stopped once the ship was out of sight. It was humid, but still relatively cool.

"This is where we need to go," Satine immediately launched. "We're going to set the ship down twenty kilometers from Sundari here. I don't want to take any of the guards with us. I think the more people we have, the more attention we'll receive. The less people moving, the better. A large crowd of us will stick out."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan cut across him. "Do you want our opinions now, Duchess, or should we only smile and nod?"

Qui-Gon gave him a stare of death while Satine's face turned slightly pink.

"Yes, all right," she said. "Forgive me; I was too curt."

This was the first time she had ever admitted to being wrong about anything and it took him by surprise.

"One of us should go with you right by your side," Qui-Gon went on. "While the other keeps a watch on your back, but far enough so that it does not seem we are all together. The enemy knows you have two male Jedi protectors. We do not need to fit the target suspect profile. I will have a talk with my padawan. Please give us five minutes."

Satine agreed and walked away rather quickly, as if she was eager for Obi-Wan to be scolded.

Qui-Gon fixed him with a glare. "You will go with her. I'll be further behind." He paused and waited for Obi-Wan to argue, but he did not. So Qui-Gon then continued, "I know you hate her, but you need to act more mature. She's used to being in charge."

Obi-Wan felt stung by the accusation. Qui-Gon would not say that if he had seen the dream Obi-Wan had just had minutes ago. He blushed a bit, but it fit well for the situation. "I don't hate her," he argued. "She just is arrogant."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth, but then closed it, and Obi-Wan knew what he had contemplated saying. Obi-Wan did his best not to storm away like a child. Instead, he walked calmly toward Satine with a scowl on his face.

"All right, let's go," he grumbled at her. He did not bother to stop walking. When he noticed she was not following him, he stopped and turned around.

She looked like she was having a hard time not smiling. She pointed east and said, "Um, our ship is _that_ way."

Obi-Wan turned red again. "Right," he snapped.

* * *

They set the ship down twenty kilometers away from Sundari, as Satine had dictated. When the engine whined down, she looked over at her two Jedi protectors. "Come on," she said.

"This still isn't a good idea," Obi-Wan mumbled as they walked down the ramp.

"Keep your eyes open," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan. "I'll wait back here for a while. Go."

Obi-Wan wisely let Satine choose the direction in which to walk this time. There were lights from homes around them, but the volume of those lights were nothing compared to the lights they were going toward. They were heading for a large wall of city levels. This was where Sundari began. The city levels went underground, on ground, and above ground. He supposed this was like how Coruscant would look if the idea of a ground level existed there anymore.

"Why does this Strike person have to be on a level this low," Obi-Wan asked her. "Ground level and lower is dangerous. Doesn't he know that the lower you reside, the more dangerous the neighborhood?"

"He won't be at ground level."

"What? How are we going to get up to -?"

"You'll see."

The lights kept multiplying until they were surrounded by buildings. Dawn was approaching. Satine stopped abruptly in front of an apartment building as Obi-Wan kept looking over his shoulder. He did not like this in the slightest. He kept expecting someone to round a corner.

"It's somewhere here," she said. She walked into the darkness and turned a corner into an alley.

"Satine, I don't like this," he said as he turned the corner. "Any -" He stopped short. There was a tiny airpseeder right in front of them. His jaw dropped. "How did you know that would be here?" he asked incredulously. "Will it work with your fingerprint?"

"Yes," she answered. "But there's only one... I asked her to leave two or three if she could manage..."

"I don't like this," he said again. "What about Qui-Gon? It's too small to fit all three of us."

She shook her head. "We'll have to leave him."

"No, Satine, this is ridiculous -"

She climbed in, put her thumb at the ignition, and the engine roared to life. She then grinned at him and he could not believe she could even smile at a moment like this. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it." She was actually being _humorous_. "I'm going to meet Strike with or without you."

He knew it was pointless to argue. "Do I have to be the passenger?"

Her smile was still there. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm just... just more of the driver than the passenger. And this is no time to be funny."

She rolled her eyes. "All right, Obi-Wan, but if you try to drive me away from something you think is dangerous, I'll jump at the closest landing opportunity."

Obi-Wan knew she was too insane to be bluffing. "Fine."

* * *

Strike was higher than where they started, but still at a level that made Obi-Wan nervous. Even though it was still early in the morning, there were people everywhere. Walking. Conversing. Any one of them could be a bounty hunter. Both he and Satine had cloaks on, but he wished they were nothing short of completely invisible.

Satine stopped at a large courtyard. Some children were playing some ten or eleven square yards from them. She checked her watch and then looked up. "He's here," she murmured.

Obi-Wan scanned the people. "I don't see him. This isn't right, Satine."

She bit her lip as she scanned the crowd. She stepped forward without answering him. He trailed beside her, feeling like he was going to throw up.

There was an explosion at the heart of the courtyard, right where the children had been playing. Both she and Obi-Wan hit the ground as if by instinct. Both adults and children were screaming. A second explosion went off some twenty feet from the first one. Satine scrambled to her feet. Black smoke was all around them. Obi-Wan expected her to run away from the center, and she did start running. But she was running the wrong way. She was running toward it.

_Why in the Force would she do that?_ his mind reeled. He had no choice but to get up and run after her. He realized yelling her name might only put her in more danger. One final explosion went off. Everyone was running away, except for Satine and Obi-Wan.

Satine halted where the smoke was too thick to see anything. She coughed and used the sleeve of her cloak to filter out the air. Not being able to see made Obi-Wan feel claustrophobic. When the smoke began to clear, he found himself wishing it had remained.

Bodies were everywhere - full bodies and parts of bodies. Blood and guts. Both children and adults were victims. Injured people were crawling around on the floor like half-squashed insects. Satine let in a gasp of air in between coughing. Her hood fell back, but it did not matter, since the only people who were there to see the face of Duchess Satine Kryze were dying. She kneeled down beside one child with blood coming out of his mouth. Obi-Wan watched in horror as she comforted him until he died. No other adult that had run away came forward. He knew in a civilized society, in a society that was not currently in a state of war, emergency crews would be arriving. But this was war and no one came.

* * *

Satine was shaking like a leaf. Qui-Gon had stopped lecturing Obi-Wan and the ship was moving back away from Sundari. She was sitting crisscrossed on the floor in front of the bed-bunks as if she had forgotten there were seats all over the ship.

Obi-Wan sat down a few feet away from her. He waited for her to speak, but she didn't. Her blonde hair was down. It was wavy and messy and crazy. He had never seen it down before. It made her look even more beautiful.

"You know," he finally said, "I was wrong about you."

She did not meet his gaze. "How so?"

"I thought that you were... well, I thought that you were... I thought you were just another soulless politician that loved being treated like royalty. Well, I mean, I guess you are kind of royalty, but not in the traditional sense."

"Arrogant, pampered, corrupted, and spoiled?" she said. "That about it?"

"Well... yes. But I was wrong."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," she said in a voice that sounded almost like her own, "I thought you were an uptight, emotionless Jedi. Horror," she said as she meet his eyes. "That's what I saw in your eyes today."

They were quiet once again for several minutes as Obi-Wan fought down his feelings. He wanted to wrap his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her and make her feel safe.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered crisply in her old voice. "However, we have a serious problem. Someone knew I would be in that exact square at that exact time today. I don't believe Strike would betray me, but that does not mean he isn't... flawed. He might have made an error in judgment." She stood up. "I have things to do. You go meditate and think about how we are going to fix this."

He did not stand up. "I don't think I should leave you h-"

"When I want your opinion," she said with a smile, "I'll ask for it." There were tears in her eyes, but the smile remained on her face as she walked away from him.

* * *

Satine was an excellent speaker. That is why the New Mandalorians looked to her to lead them after her father was killed. She could argue with anyone and she always spoke with such conviction. Yet she had recently noticed that, sometimes as she was speaking, she would look over at Obi-Wan and see he was watching her, and her speech and thoughts would stutter to a halt. Nobody else had ever had this effect on her and she did not like it. She knew Qui-Gon had noticed it and she doubted he was a fan of this either.

As they sat around another campfire yet again, she was watching his face. It was dawn. She was eating breakfast. His eyes were closed. It was clear he had not gotten enough sleep last night.

"Obi-Wan, can I ask you a question?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her in slight alarm, as if he had forgotten she was sitting there. He nodded.

"What is the Code?"

"Oh. Well, it's a five line mantra that states the basic founding beliefs of the Jedi Order."

"What does it say?"

Obi-Wan grabbed a twig and started breaking it into smaller pieces. She found his nervous habit comical and she did not think he noticed it existed. "There is no emotion, there is peace," he began. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force... It's what gives us our rules and expectations for all Jedi."

Satine was silent for a while. "No passion, no emotion?"

"No passion, no emotion," Obi-Wan echoed, still breaking it the twig. Of course, no one can be emotionless, but it's important that we remain level-headed and not be carried away by our feelings."

"But some emotions are good," she argued. "Passion can be too. So long as passion does not become obsession."

He shrugged slightly. "I suppose, sometimes. But for the most part, it only clouds one's judgment."

"Well, what about love? Isn't that supposed to be the greatest of all emotions?"

"Love is attachment," Obi-Wan answered softly, not looking at her. "Attachment is forbidden. Nothing and no one is permanent. The moment you become attached to someone is the moment you condemn yourself to misery and suffering."

Satine said nothing for a while again. Then, "How many times have you rehearsed that, Obi-Wan?"

He blinked and stopped breaking twigs. "I'm sorry?"

"How many times have you rehearsed what you just said. You sound like you're repeating a passage from a textbook."

Obi-Wan didn't answer at first. The conversation no longer seemed as mechanical. "Well, Jedi Masters repeat themselves a lot when they're speaking to their padawans, I guess. It rubs off."

"Sounds like brainwashing to me."

"It's not," Obi-Wan said firmly. It seemed she had just struck a nerve. "It's just... very important to remember."

She gave a small "hmm," but did not say anything further.

"Have you heard from Strike since...?"

She shook her head. "No. Which is really not a good sign at all."

"I still think he could be a traitor. What kind of idiot smokes death sticks?"

"My father," Satine said firmly, "trusted him."

"What...?" he stopped short and shook his head.

"What is it?" she prompted.

He looked back toward one of their many abandoned cabins they frequented. "What... happened to your father?" he asked gently.

She swallowed. "He was shot by the rebels. In the stomach. I wasn't there, but I found his body. If I had been, I know I would have been killed too. And then one of my sisters decided to go and join them. The Death Watch. After they killed him. As far as I'm concerned, she as good as killed him. I do not care if she was not with them at the time and that she had not pulled the trigger. She as good did."

* * *

**At first, I was pretty against Satine and Bo-Katan being sisters, but I guess I've gotten used to the idea - it has some potential. It just seems to me that they decided to make them sisters after they had finished making Bo-Katan's character, but I guess it's canon now.**

**Thanks for reading guys :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to my two reviewers of the previous chapter! I had a lot of fun with this new one. Hope you enjoy. **

* * *

Obi-Wan did not like the way the human brain worked. Every time he found himself around Satine, he realized that the more you tried not to think about something, the more you can't stop thinking it.

When Qui-Gon was around, Obi-Wan and Satine spoke little to each other. But when he was gone, they had taken toward arguing with each other about anything and everything, especially when they were out in the middle of nowhere, away from civilization, which they almost always were.

The cabin was made with real wood. It was stuffy, dusty, and splintered. There was only one mediocre-sized room. Obi-Wan was sitting in the corner meditating as best he could. He had no privacy here. No one did. Satine had been launching into rants over the comlink telling everyone what they needed to do. The moment Qui-Gon closed the door behind him, Obi-Wan could feel Satine glaring in his direction, but Obi-Wan did not open his eyes.

"Stop it!" she finally snapped at Obi-Wan. "You're driving me absolutely insane! Do something other than sitting there like a statue!"

He opened his eyes and looked at her with equal venom. "Oh, I'm sorry, your grace, am I offending you somehow?" It was all play to them, it was a dysfunction that he did not quite understand. The words _sexual tension _crossed his mind, but he tried to ignore them.

"I can't think with you doing that, like you're this subhuman, perfect being that doesn't get bored out of his mind by doing that for four hours every damn day."

He squared his jaw and near shouted, "Well, I'm sorry, Duchess, supreme being of light, but I'm not here to serve you. Qui-Gon and I are here to help Mandalore adopt a peaceful society model for the Jedi Order's own benefit, not to entertain your every whim."

"You just like to act so damn perfect, don't you?"

"At least I've earned my so-called 'perfection,' unlike another one of us who was just born into high places."

"You _idiot_! I've been preparing speeches since I was little to get where I am now! Now you, on the other hand, you just got chosen by the Jedi - your life was picked for you whereas I chose to be who I am today! And they almost didn't want you! They almost got rid of you themselves - you told me that! So with everything you are now, you didn't have to work anywhere near as hard as I -"

"Are you _kidding_ me? Do you have any idea how hard it is to become a Jedi?" Obi-Wan shouted. "At least I don't get waited on hand and foot -"

Satine laughed a mirthless laugh. "I sleep in the kriffing dirt half the time and you know this damn well, Obi-Wan!"

They glared at each other. Both tried very hard to be truly angry with the other, but somehow, they both failed. The intensity of her glare made Obi-Wan look away and feel flushed. He rose to his feet and began to walk away toward the door on the squeaky hinges.

Satine looked at him in surprise. She stood up and stepped in front of him. She put a hand out and pressed it against his chest to keep him from exiting. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're not a - you're good - I didn't mean it - I mean, I don't want you to leave."

He just looked at her. She did not remove her palm from him. The tension in the air was so thick he was sure someone could have cut it with a knife. His mind wandered places he did not want it to go. He closed his eyes, pushed past her, and walked out the door into fresh air.

_You idiot_, he berated himself as he walked through the woods. _You kriffing fool, get ahold of yourself..._

But his mind began to wander. She had looked like she was waiting for him to kiss her. Or was that his own wishful thinking? What would she do if he had? Would she kiss him back or would she push him away and demand that both he and Qui-Gon leave for good? Or would she just start yelling at him? He had never kissed anybody before nor had he ever even contemplated it. What if he was bad at it? What if Qui-Gon walked in on them? What if - _you damned idiot, you left Duchess Satine Kryze alone in cabin in the middle of nowhere unprotected! _He turned around and quickly walked back to the cabin, hoping Qui-Gon had not come back. How bad would that look if Qui-Gon came back and Obi-Wan was no where to be found? How could he explain that one?

* * *

Later that night, snow was falling lightly outside. Satine shivered as she stood in front of the window. The cabin was not very warm, even with the fire going. She had her hair down because she had the sense that he looked at her more when it was down, though she would never admit this.

"Are you all right?"

Satine closed her eyes. Obi-Wan was always asking her that question when they were not busy fighting about something. "Yes, I'm fine. A bit cold, but fine otherwise."

Obi-Wan walked over to her next to the window. They had not spoken since Obi-Wan had stormed off earlier that afternoon. "You shouldn't stand at the window," he said.

She smiled weakly. "Because a bounty hunter might materialize out of nowhere, recognize me, and shoot or capture me?"

"Something like that, yes."

"I am not afraid of dying."

"I know you aren't. But you can't help your people if you are dead. And I would prefer you be alive, honestly." He put a hand on her shoulder to try to steer her away.

She turned and looked into the gray-blue eyes she had come to know so well. Before she knew what she was doing, she pulled him into an embrace. He put his arms around her as well. Emotions were growing in his chest that he could not suppress. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. They stayed that way for a very long time. She could feel his heart beating.

She eventually moved back with her eyes still closed. Before he could register what he was about to do, he kissed her, which was exactly what she had been waiting for. She threw her arms back around him and kissed him back. When Obi-Wan realized she was kissing him back, he put his arms back around her and pushed her against the wall. It was completely surreal and passionate and neither really had a clue what they were doing. All they knew was that it felt right. For a moment, he didn't even care if Qui-Gon walked in on them.

Then Obi-Wan pulled away from her. She opened her eyes to see him shaking his head.

"What," she said breathlessly.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," he said.

She just looked at him for a moment. Then she laughed. "Are you telling me that was an accident?"

"No, I mean -"

She shook her head. "Look, Obi-Wan, I know emotions aren't your forte, but you clearly have feelings for me. And I have feelings for you. It's already done. You can't undo that. You can't control it. It's... finished."

He just kept shaking his head. "I can't," was all he said. Then he turned around and walked away.

* * *

Obi-Wan stayed in hiding until Qui-Gon went to ask him why the hell he wasn't awake yet. He was awake, just faking sleeping because he did not want to face Satine. He was ashamed at his lack of control. For fun, Satine went and eavesdropped from the opposite side of the hall.

"You're going to miss an important meeting," Qui-Gon was saying. "What's the matter? Are you sick?"

"Yeah," she heard Obi-Wan saying. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, padawan, but tough. There are no sick days here."

Obi-Wan was furious. Not only would he have to face Satine - he would have to pretend he didn't feel well for the rest of the day to validate his claim that he was sick.

"You look awful," she told him when he emerged from his hiding spot. "What did you do all last night? Surely you weren't sleeping much."

Obi-Wan's jaw nearly dropped open at what she was suggesting, if she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting. He turned redder than she had ever seen him and she smiled, feeling quite cheery.

"Casimir will be able to meet us at 08:00 hours sharp at these coordinates," she told Qui-Gon as she handed him a data pad. "He says he knows what has become of Strike. And, he'll be able to give us a monthly status report. He sounded happy about it, so there is hope."

* * *

"Basically... we're at a standstill." Casimir looked exhausted. "We gained some ground at Enceri, but lost some ground west of Sundari."

"What do you think of the situation, Master Jedi?" Satine asked Qui-Gon respectfully.

"The Council thought there would be more progress by now," Qui-Gon admitted. "It looks like it will take longer than originally expected."

Casimir cleared his throat. "About Strike... he... was killed in the explosions at a square on the outskirts of Sundari. There... there was a terrorist attack there not long ago in the early morning hours. A lot of people were killed."

Satine gaped at him. He closed his eyes and then looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Satine."

She blinked away tears, turned, and walked away before she lost it altogether. She heard someone following her as she walked out into the dining hall and she knew who it was.

"Satine," Obi-Wan said. "Satine, stop." He grabbed her hand.

She turned and looked at him. He realized that she was still pretty even when she was upset. She completely lost what control she had left. She burst into tears. He pulled her into an embrace and she cried on his shoulder.

Then she abruptly pushed him away and snapped, "You can't do this flip-flopping with me. Either you are -" she stopped and looked past Obi-Wan shoulder.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Qui-Gon coming up to them. Obi-Wan swiftly wished for death. But Qui-Gon was not paying attention to him. He was looking at Satine.

"Duchess, we cannot jump into hysterics," Qui-Gon said as gently as possible before coming to a halt before them both. "We do not know what tomorrow will bring."

Obi-Wan blinked at him. He knew that his master knew something they did not in that moment. He didn't dare to ask himself what Qui-Gon knew about he and Satine.

"We do know what tomorrow will bring, though," she argued. "Tomorrow will bring a greater total death toll." She shook her head. "I've had enough of today and enough of... people. I'm just going back to bed."

"It's 11:20 in the morning," Obi-Wan said.

"Thanks Kenobi, I was just wishing someone would tell me the time," she said icily. "There's nothing more I can do. You two might as well meditate, or levitate objects, or discuss the brilliance of the Jedi Code or - or whatever it is you do in your free time." She saw Obi-Wan was actually cringing at the bitterness in her voice. "I don't want to see either of you until tomorrow, unless there is some kind of life or death peril going on that I could actually do something about. Good day." With that, she turned away from them so haughtily that Obi-Wan was almost tempted to Force-trip her in order to tear down her disdainfully proud demeanor.

"Funny, I was just thinking about discussing the brilliance of the Jedi Code with you," Qui-Gon said once she was out of sight.

"What?" Obi-Wan managed.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead for a moment. "Nothing. Casimir told me that his report was only partly true. Strike is dead, but they are not at a standstill. Not at all. In a little less than two hours, they're going to try to take Sundari in its entirety."

Obi-Wan blinked. "But why would he -"

"He said he doesn't want to worry her or get her hopes up, but I think he isn't telling even me the whole truth. He says the fighting will likely go on into the night, which means you and I will be staying up late."

Obi-Wan nodded. Then he gave a fake cough because he forgot he was supposed to be sick. Qui-Gon did not look convinced.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, everyone. I hoped you enjoyed.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so we got some activity after the last chapter! I like it. It's a shame Obi-Wan/Satine doesn't have much of a fan base anymore, but that's life. Oh and The Clone Wars is no more, which is depressing... I need more Star Wars. **

* * *

The moment she went back to her bed, she fell asleep. She had not slept well the night before, mostly because she was busy thinking about Obi-Wan and trying to understand him, but also partly because she had a hard time sleeping these days. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten more than four hours of sleep per day. She slept now. Obi-Wan weaved in and out of her dreams. In the dreams, he was always frustratingly unreadable, much like he really was. He just looked at her - not with indifference, but not with affection either. He looked like he was trying to make up his mind about something, but could not. She slept in and out until one o'clock in the morning. It was amazing how long she had slept now that she did not want to think anymore.

Her comlink was buzzing. Annoyed, she got up and grabbed it. "What?" she snapped.

"Satine," Obi-Wan voice said, "I -"

"Didn't I tell you not to bother me for the rest of the day?"

"Well, technically," he said dryly, "it's already tomorrow. It's one o'clock in the morning. How long were you asleep?"

She cursed and tried to wrap her head around the fact she had slept for over twelve hours. "Fine then, why are you bothering me at one o'clock in the morning?"

"Casimir. He has some... news."

"All right, I'll be right there."

When she entered the room, she got the immediate feeling that something major had happened while she was unconscious and having dreams she did not want to have. Casimir was there in person. He smiled at her and bowed. Everyone was staring at either she or Casimir. Every single person that worked on the ship was there.

"Duchess," Casimir said, "I do admit that I lied to you earlier today... er, yesterday." She had never seen him in such high spirits. "Sundari, our capital... is ours."

She blinked. "What?"

"It's ours! Roughly ten hours ago, we fought for it, and we won it. Death Watch no longer controls it. We do. It's ours."

She did not know quite what to say. Everyone around her was all smiles, some were even crying, but she knew something was very _off_ here. She shook her head. "Where are they then? The prisoners the peacekeepers caught?"

His smile faded. "Well, we caught a fair dozen, but -"

"A fair dozen," she repeated. Her voice had that tone that told everyone in the room that trouble was coming as she watched him closely. "You're telling me New Mandalorians have control of the whole city and you only caught a fair dozen Death Watch members? There had to be hundreds, thousands of their warriors there. Where are they?"

Casimir's positively radiant mood had disappeared.

"All right," Qui-Gon said suddenly. "Everyone out. Not _you_," he snapped at Obi-Wan, who had begun to move. "Everyone else. Unless your name is Satine, Casimir, Qui-Gon, or Obi-Wan, you need to be out."

Everyone just stared at each other.

"Out," Qui-Gon repeated.

The guards, peacekeepers, and staff gradually shuffled out in shock while Satine glared at Casimir as if she had never seen him before.

"You killed them all," she said flatly in a quaking voice once the four of them were alone.

Obi-Wan held his breath.

"You did!" she exclaimed. "You gave the peacekeepers lethal weapons and you killed them all!"

Casimir raised a hand and said, "Listen -"

"You either used lethal weapons or you didn't," she said with the most rage she could muster. "Now which is it?"

"Satine, we had no choice -"

"No, you had an _order_, you had my _trust_ -"

"It was unrealistic!" Casimir shouted. "How can you win a war if all you do is stun and capture everyone?"

"You're done," she said. "You're done. Either you get out from my ship now or I will put on trial for your crimes. I trusted you and you've betrayed it. You are no longer a New Mandalorian. You are - you had best get off this planet - get away from the whole Mandalorian Sector - before I ever see you again. You are_ no better_ than the Death Watch and I am pretty sure if I was half the animal you are, I would have Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan execute you right here and now."

Casimir opened his mouth again.

"Out!" she shouted.

"You think things are bad now," Casimir said viciously, "you have no idea how bad things will be when I'm not here anymore. You think you and the Jedi can take on the bounty hunters on your own? They're coming from you, you haven't seen anything yet, and they will _murder_ you within a day without my continued -"

"Get out or I will throw you from this ship," Obi-Wan said very quietly.

Casimir glared at him. Then he stormed away into the night.

Satine was shaking with rage.

"We aren't really executioners, though," Obi-Wan said to break the silence.

She turned to him. He had never seen her so angry. "You think I'm in the mood for jokes?"

"No," he began, "I'm just -"

She turned and walked away.

"Obi-Wan, do not go after -" Qui-Gon was saying, but Obi-Wan swept after her.

"Satine, you can't just walk away from this," he said behind her as she continued to storm away. "You have to -"

She turned quickly back around. "I have to _what_, exactly?" she spat.

"You have to be a leader and make the best out of what happened beyond your knowledge. I know it isn't what you wanted to happen, but everything happens for a reason."

"Right," she said. "So it was the will of the Force that thousands of people were killed under my watch?"

"I know it isn't want you wanted, but Casimir did what he thought was best."

"You're defending that animal now? You just threatened to throw him off the ship!"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Only because he was threatening you."

"So you agree with what he did?"

"It isn't nice, but Satine, I'm sure he felt like he had no choice! In the two months we've been here, there have been no -"

"You're absolutely disgusting!" she shouted. "I will never, ever condone violence and he went behind my back and lied to me. It takes two sides to make a war and -"

"Satine, open your lovely blue eyes and look the kriff around!" he said angrily. "The Death Watch is determined to kill every last man, woman, and child who calls themselves a New Mandalorian whether you fight them back with lethal force or not! It may take two sides to make a war, but it takes only one side to make a genocide! Can you not see that?"

She swallowed and looked at the ground, hating him because she knew he was right.

"But it doesn't even matter right now," he said. "We have more pressing things to do than debate right versus wrong and tear each other up because that's just what we enjoy doing. If you want the lethal weapons gone, you have to make that order. If you want your peacekeepers to have a leader, then you have to devise a way to appoint a new one. You have to be a leader, not go running away from an unfavorable circumstance."

She sighed and met his eyes again. "You're right."

"Then come back with me and we'll figure it out. Between us three, we an come up with something."

* * *

Obi-Wan found himself alone with Satine again that night. He did not run into her on purpose. He walked down into the dining hall because he was hungry and he couldn't sleep. And there she was, sitting at the head of the table by herself, reading a holobook.

She looked up at him. "What are you still doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I can't sleep."

"Me neither."

There was an awkward pause.

"You can sit down, you know," she said. "Talk to me."

"About what?" he said cautiously.

She sighed. "Do you really think Casimir was helping protect me from bounty hunters? Do you think he's right that we won't be able to stop them?"

He hesitated. Then he walked over to the table and sat down at the closest seat to her. "He might have been. But Qui-Gon and I can handle bounty hunters. Nobody is ever going to hurt you while I'm here. I promise."

She did not seem convinced.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

She looked embarrassed. "Nothing."

"Come on, Satine, what are you reading?"

She swallowed and then pushed the holobook toward him.

"'_The Beliefs of the Jedi Order_?' Why?"

"So I can better understand why you're so... unhinged. The Jedi Order has some pretty mad ideas."

"Like what?"

She rolled her eyes and then said, "You're allowed to have sex with whomever you want so long as you don't become attached to that person. So you could call up a prostitute and have all the sex you want, but if you love someone and have sex with them? You just can't do immoral things like that."

Obi-Wan turned red and she enjoyed watching him squirm. "Well, I mean, sex isn't encouraged or anything."

"You do know it's the opposite in the world outside the Jedi Order, right? You're only supposed to do that with someone you love."

He was quiet. "Is it?"

She cursed. "I really don't know what to do with you. The Jedi Order has made you positively mental."

"Right," he mumbled. He was burning with a desire he wish he could just turn off. He didn't want to want her, but he spoke before he could control himself. "So... why're we talking about sex?"

She shrugged, looking a bit flushed. "I was just giving you an example. Why are you fascinated by the topic of sex right now?"

"Can we talk about something else please."

"You're the one who asked me what I was reading. So what planet are you originally from?"

The lights abruptly went out so that they were in pure darkness. He only just see her from the reflection of the holobook.

"It's to save energy. I forgot," she said. "All the automatic lights go out at 1:30 sharp."

"Are you sure?" he said warily. "What if someone's attacking -?"

"I think you'd know if there was an insane bounty hunter cutting the wires, right?"

He sighed. "I'm from Stewjon."

"Do you remember your parents at all?"

"No. But I think I had an older brother."

"What made you Force-sensitive and everyone else in your family not? Is it genetic at all or is it just random?"

"It's... genetic to a certain degree, but Force-sensitives can pop up from seemingly no where. Most do actually, since Jedi aren't allowed to have children. But if a Force-sensitive has one, that child will almost certainly have a high Midi-chlorian count."

"Isn't that kind of stupid? I mean, if the Jedi were allowed to reproduce, you'd have an Order three times as large as it is now."

He hesitated. "Qui-Gon thinks along those same lines... He think we should be able to."

This surprised her. "Really?"

"Really."

"So... does Qui-Gon agree with the sex only with someone you don't care about rule or -"

"How did we get back on this topic?"

"I don't know if the Jedi Order ever told you this, but even Force-sensitive babies are a product of that, so the two topics are closely related. Why are you so uncomfortable about it?"

He sighed again, knowing that she was having a grand time tormenting him. He guessed sexual harassment was a thing they would do to each other at times, just like they often fought over nothing. Then he said, "Don't ever do what you did earlier today. I don't ever want to see that again."

She was quiet for a moment and Obi-Wan could almost hear the wheels turning in her brain as she tried to recall what he could be talking about. "What -?"

"You walked away," he said. "You're allowed to get angry. You're allowed to yell and you're even allowed to cry hysterically. But you're not allowed to walk away and quit. So I don't ever want to see you do that again."

Whatever humor that had lingered in the air moments ago was gone. She took in a sharp breath and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Anyway, I guess I should just go back to bed."

"Or you could stay and talk to me," she said against her better judgment.

"About what?"

The lights turned back on and both Satine and Obi-Wan froze.

Qui-Gon sighed from the doorway and put a hand over his face. "Can I ask why you are both sitting in the dark at nearly 02:00?"

"The lights went off automatically after I sat down," Obi-Wan launched. "I just couldn't sleep and I came in here and Satine was reading -"

"And you could have just gotten up and flipped the light switch."

Satine repressed a laugh.

"I didn't know that there - so why're you up?" Obi-Wan asked defensively. "Master?" he added more respectfully.

Qui-Gon walked to the table and sat down across from Satine and Obi-Wan. "There's been a disturbance in the Force. Couldn't you feel it?"

"Well... maybe that is why I couldn't go to sleep tonight. Taking the war - struggle, I mean," he revised because he knew Satine did not like to call it a war, "into space is probably going to completely change the game."

"Maybe Casimir's joined the Death Watch," Satine said dismissively. "Or maybe somebody dropped a glass jar in a kitchen on the other side of the galaxy."

Obi-Wan laughed, but Qui-Gon did not and gave his apprentice a look.

"Strike told you that there was a traitor amongst your inner circle, Duchess," Qui-Gon said. "What if our new appointment of the peacekeeper leader has put the traitor into a more powerful position?"

"Every one of my officers are as trustworthy as I am," she said coolly. "Even Casimir's betrayal was still on our side's best interest."

Obi-Wan looked back at her. "Really? They're all as trustworthy as you?"

Qui-Gon looked up at the ceiling and Obi-Wan could tell he was thinking _not again_.

"Did I stutter? Yes, they are all as trustworthy as I am."

"So have you like interviewed them all, or -?"

"You think I don't know the people who are battling for our side to win?"

"Well, I'm just saying, for you to thoroughly know them all so well, it's quite impressive and rather unbelievable."

"You know what else is unbelievable -"

"- Is both of your behaviors," Qui-Gon butted in. "Can we not do this? Strike had concerns and it would be foolish to not even consider them, no matter how much kin you feel for your peacekeepers, Duchess."

She scratched her right ear, grimacing. "Well, I don't know. You two are the experts. I will leave you to decide who or what is coming for us."

"Do we get to go to Sundari now and end the camping trip?" Obi-Wan asked after a moment.

"Don't be ridiculous, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Sundari is far too dangerous for us to settle down in any time soon. We might as well send the Death Watch Satine's exact coordinates if we take her there."

Obi-Wan scowled. "Fine. Great. I'm going to bed." He stood up and expected Qui-Gon to do the same. When he did not, Obi-Wan walked away awkwardly without another word.

Satine swallowed and looked down at her holobook. She was hardly ever alone with Qui-Gon - it was always Obi-Wan who stayed around her all the time.

"Satine," Qui-Gon said gently, "is Obi-Wan being at all inappropriate around you?"

She blinked, not sure what to say. "No, I mean, he's a prat, but he does not... Actually, I have a lot of fun fighting with him, and sometimes I want to smack him, but I usually enjoy his company. He is actually rather smart, but don't tell him I ever said that."

Qui-Gon studied his interlocked fingers and looked like he wanted to say more. Finally he settled for, "Jedi are supposed to like solitude."

She almost wanted to search the holobook she was holding so she could decipher this bizarre statement. "You mean like not form attachments?"

He looked at her. "How much as he told you about the beliefs of the Jedi Order?"

"He doesn't exactly come out and tell me things. I pry it from him because I find him rather unreadable."

"Well... you are right. Jedi must not form attachments. Being a Jedi is not easy. It is a hard life to walk, but each Jedi is supposed to walk it alone. The Jedi Order has rules that should not be broken because Force-sensitives are different and it doesn't even matter whether or not I or any other Jedi agree with them. Obedience is a must if you are going to stay in the Order."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I'll tell him that the next time he shows any emotion whatsoever, shall I?"

"I am not saying I agree with everything that -"

She stood. "No, it's all right. I get it. The Jedi Order is not lenient and you live, breathe, eat, and sleep the Jedi Code."

"I don't think you are understanding where I am coming from."

"Fortunately, I do understand where you are coming from. I understand more than possibly even you do, Qui-Gon, and I appreciate that the Jedi Order has reached out to help me. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try to get some sleep." And she swept from the room without any hesitation.

She wanted to track Obi-Wan down, push him up against the wall and yell at him that the Jedi Order was wrong, but she didn't. Instead, she returned to her bed and sat up reading about the Jedi Order's philosophy for another whole hour before her head drooped and she fell asleep with the holobook on her chest.

* * *

**So I don't know when I will update again. Right now I have two jobs and college to juggle with. I wrote all this stuff before my new job began and now I'm running out of the material I wrote so far in advance. But anyway, it might be a while, but I definitely want to finish this. I just don't know how to finish it. There are two ideas in my head but I think one is too fangirlishly, so I'm not sure if that's the ending I want to take. **

**Thanks for reading, everyone. **


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